- Source
- Herodotus. Godley, Alfred Denis, editor. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1920-1925 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.18.1-5.18.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Persian envoys arriving in Macedonia are welcomed by Amyntas and demand that women be brought into the banquet. Amyntas reluctantly complies, but the drunken Persians begin to behave impertinently toward the women.
οἱ ὦν Πέρσαι οἱ πεμφθέντες οὗτοι παρὰ τὸν Ἀμύντην ὡς ἀπίκοντο, αἴτεον ἐλθόντες ἐς ὄψιν τὴν Ἀμύντεω Δαρείῳ βασιλέι γῆν τε καὶ ὕδωρ. ὁ δὲ ταῦτά τε ἐδίδου1 καὶ σφεας ἐπὶ ξείνια καλέει, παρασκευασάμενος δὲ δεῖπνον μεγαλοπρεπὲς ἐδέκετο τοὺς Πέρσας φιλοφρόνως.
So when these Persians who had been sent arrived at Amyntas’ court, they went into the presence of Amyntas and demanded earth and water for King Darius. Amyntas consented to give these and invited them to hospitality, and having prepared a magnificent dinner, he received the Persians in a friendly manner.
ὡς δὲ ἀπὸ δείπνου ἐγένοντο, διαπίνοντες εἶπαν οἱ Πέρσαι τάδε. ξεῖνε Μακεδών, ἡμῖν νόμος ἐστὶ τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι, ἐπεὰν δεῖπνον προτιθώμεθα μέγα, τότε καὶ τὰς παλλακὰς καὶ τὰς κουριδίας γυναῖκας ἐσάγεσθαι παρέδρους. σύ νυν, ἐπεί περ προθύμως μὲν ἐδέξαο μεγάλως δὲ ξεινίζεις, διδοῖς δὲ βασιλέι Δαρείῳ γῆν τε καὶ ὕδωρ, ἕπεο νόμῳ τῷ ἡμετέρῳ.
And when they had finished dinner, drinking together, the Persians said these words: “Macedonian host, it is our custom among the Persians, whenever we set a great dinner, then to bring in also the concubines and wedded wives to sit beside us. You, therefore, since you have received us eagerly and are entertaining us sumptuously, and are giving earth and water to King Darius, follow our custom.”
εἶπε πρὸς ταῦτα Ἀμύντης ὦ Πέρσαι, νόμος μὲν ἡμῖν γε ἐστὶ οὐκ οὗτος, ἀλλὰ κεχωρίσθαι ἄνδρας γυναικῶν· ἐπείτε δὲ ὑμεῖς ἐόντες δεσπόται προσχρηίζετε τούτων, παρέσται ὑμῖν καὶ ταῦτα. εἴπας τοσαῦτα ὁ Ἀμύντης μετεπέμπετο τὰς γυναῖκας· αἳ δʼ ἐπείτε καλεόμεναι ἦλθον, ἐπεξῆς ἀντίαι ἵζοντο τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι.
To this Amyntas replied: “O Persians, our custom is not this, but that men and women should be kept separate. But since you, being our masters, demand this also, this also shall be granted to you.” Having said this, Amyntas sent for the women; and when they came upon being called, they sat down in order opposite the Persians.
ἐνθαῦτα οἱ Πέρσαι ἰδόμενοι γυναῖκας εὐμόρφους ἔλεγον πρὸς Ἀμύντην φάμενοι τὸ ποιηθὲν τοῦτο οὐδὲν εἶναι σοφόν· κρέσσον γὰρ εἶναι ἀρχῆθεν μὴ ἐλθεῖν τὰς γυναῖκας ἢ ἐλθούσας καὶ μὴ παριζομένας ἀντίας ἵζεσθαι ἀλγηδόνας2 σφίσι ὀφθαλμῶν.
Then the Persians, seeing beautiful women, spoke to Amyntas, saying that this which had been done was not at all wise; for it would have been better from the start for the women not to come, than, having come, to sit opposite instead of beside them, as a pain to their eyes.
ἀναγκαζόμενος δὲ ὁ Ἀμύντης ἐκέλευε παρίζειν· πειθομενέων δὲ τῶν γυναικῶν αὐτίκα οἱ Πέρσαι μαστῶν τε ἅπτοντο οἷα3 πλεόνως οἰνωμένοι, καί κού τις καὶ φιλέειν ἐπειρᾶτο.
And Amyntas, being forced, ordered them to sit beside them; and when the women complied, straightway the Persians, as men heavily drunk, began to touch their breasts, and perhaps some even tried to kiss them.
- 5.18.1ἐδίδου
Imperfect tense. It represents the initiation of an agreement or readiness ("consented to give" or "was ready to give") rather than the completed physical transfer of earth and water on the spot.
- 5.18.4ἀλγηδόνας
Accusative plural of the noun ἀλγηδών (pain). It functions here as a predicative accusative or accusative of apposition denoting result or character ("as a pain to their eyes", "to be a source of grief to their eyes").
- 5.18.5οἷα
Neuter plural used adverbially with the participle (οἰνωμένοι) to emphasize an objective cause or reason ("inasmuch as they were", "since they were").